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When a Tweet Becomes a Full-Page ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ Ad

There are very few things that shock me as a marketer anymore. But every once in a while something comes along that grabs my attention. A partial tweet that became a full-page ad in The New York Times (with a $70,000 price tag I may add) did just that.

Now, it may have something to do with the fact that I loved the Coen Brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis.” But also, you’ve got to wonder what the rules are here. Tony Scott (A.O. Scott) tweeted this:

Buuuut the ad only said this:

Hm. He was also asked permission by the movie’s publicist to modify his tweet for an ad, and he politely declined. Yet the ad was published anyways. Fault has been placed on both The Times ad department for approving the ad without further discussion, but also fault has been placed on CBS Films for the go ahead.

Now, it’s not new to see tweets – or even modified tweets for that matter – used in advertisements. The reason why this is “shocking” is because it became the sole focus of a mostly white space, full-page ad.

In this article, Mr. Rudin from CBS films stated “he recognizes no distinction between what a critic writes in a review or on Twitter.” We already know that we should be careful of what we post on social media – but did you think A.O. Scott ever imagined his tweet would be used in this way? In reality, it’s not like anyone got hurt here. The tweet was used in favorable manner, and I’m sure Mr. Scott got a few extra followers that day. But it does bring to question (once again!) the thin lines between social media, advertising and editorial content.